NightPHEVer
Well-known member
If there's anybody out there like me, who owns their PHEV and wishes to try and preserve it for as long as possible, I noticed about 2 years ago that a lot of gritty road detritus builds-up behind the front mudflaps. This will of course include salt. The photo below shows the extent of 6 months (mostly summer) build-up of crud. This is the fourth time I've taken my flaps off to clean underneath them in the last 2 years. Based on the fact that rust is not an entirely unknown prospect with the PHEV I would think it very likely that over a period of time, if not cleaned-off, salty crud in this location could promote the formation of rust on the bottom of the wing panel, especially if the build-up remains wet in the winter.
Anyway, it's not too hard to remove the flaps - just two pop-out plastic plugs and one pozi screw under the sill (I've replaced all the pozi screws that hold the bottom of the plastic sill in place with stainless screws, as the originals are not stainless). There is a thin strip of what was originally sticky, squishy tape along the rear, inside edge of the flap but it hasn't stayed very sticky. I guess the squishy tape stops the rigid plastic of the flap from vibrating or rubbing the paint. I clean all the muck off the flap and wing and then apply some wax polish.
I don't know whether this type of flap is fitted to later PHEV models - mine is a 2014 GX4h with clear rear light lenses.
Another place that road muck accumilates unseen is underneath the rubber seals attached to the inside bottom edge of each door.
Anyway, it's not too hard to remove the flaps - just two pop-out plastic plugs and one pozi screw under the sill (I've replaced all the pozi screws that hold the bottom of the plastic sill in place with stainless screws, as the originals are not stainless). There is a thin strip of what was originally sticky, squishy tape along the rear, inside edge of the flap but it hasn't stayed very sticky. I guess the squishy tape stops the rigid plastic of the flap from vibrating or rubbing the paint. I clean all the muck off the flap and wing and then apply some wax polish.
I don't know whether this type of flap is fitted to later PHEV models - mine is a 2014 GX4h with clear rear light lenses.
Another place that road muck accumilates unseen is underneath the rubber seals attached to the inside bottom edge of each door.
